Introduction
Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China, in 2019, coronavirus infected more than 140 million and killed more than 3 million people all over the world (“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic”). China became the first country that identified and combated the new virus, which made a significant impact on at-risk populations, such as women and children. The response to COVID-19 was immediate, yet the mentioned populations were disproportionately affected by its consequences. The total lockdown led to school closures and severe health deterioration in children, while women faced domestic violence, the inability to meet basic needs, inappropriate treatment as frontline workers and migrant domestic helpers.
COVID-19 and Chinese Women
As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), 70% of health workers are composed of women, meaning that they were the first to work with infected patients (Owen). In early 2020, hospital staff encountered increased working hours, harsh conditions, and a lack of timely rest. Many care providers were instructed not to leave their workplaces, but female workers were discriminated against their natural needs. There was a lack of period pants, pads, and disposable pants, which indicated that menstruation needs were overlooked (Owen). Paradoxically, a greater attention to hygiene as a measure to reduce the impact of coronavirus was accompanied by the disregard for basic female needs.
Another point related to COVID-19 and Chinese Women refers to role equality. Feng et al. state that in China, the population is still more comfortable with considering that male domination is the only appropriate society model. This, for example, can be traced on the presentation of female medical workers in the media. In the outbreak of the virus, male leadership and heroic sacrifices of men were translated to people, while the contribution of female hospital workers remained largely unpublicized.
However, it should be stressed that the Chinese government officially encouraged the community to follow the principle of gender equality (Alon et al.). There is a need to implement gender-sensitive policies that would change the practice of female health providers, thus improving their position in terms of employment, social service, and media.
Domestic violence rates increased with the necessity to spend time indoors because of lockdown. The female activists reported that assaults and emotional abuse between partners were the negative outcomes of the coronavirus. In addition, thousands of female migrant domestic helpers from Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Asian countries working in China faced a lack of access to protective equipment (Feng et al.). While the employers and home countries of these women failed to provide sanitizers and face masks, their risk of contamination was extremely high. Pregnant women composed another vulnerable group that was characterized by higher levels of depression and anxiety.
The study by Wu et al. shows that a “clinically significant rise in the prevalence of depressive symptoms was found among pregnant women increasing from 26% before January 20, 2020, to 34.2% between February 5 and 9, 2020.” These women were more likely to engage in self-harm, and their situation was complicated by social distancing requirements and limited access to medical resources (Wu et al.). In this case, screening for perinatal depression, ongoing check-ups, and online counseling were recommended as coping measures.
Coronavirus and Children in China
The early research on the impact of coronavirus on children demonstrates that they tend to become infected without or with minimal symptoms. These studies noted that more than 90% of children were asymptomatic, while the overall percentage of their morbidity was low compared to adults (Alon et al.). However, Belluck notes the study that was conducted from the point of epidemiology, where the authors found that preschoolers and babies are likely to become seriously ill. Based on the sample of 2000 Chinese children, Dong et al. found that about 6% developed severe symptoms and had respiratory problems (as cited by Belluck). These findings confirm that despite a relatively low number of child patients having COVID-19, pediatric units should be ready to provide relevant and timely help.
Along with health impacts, coronavirus caused school closures, and millions of children were referred to their parents, mainly, mothers. In turn, parents had to work from home, ensuring that their children study remotely, which set a disproportionate burden on mothers (Owen). For those parents, who were not given a choice to work remotely, it was a challenge to provide childcare. As for children, distance learning was a new format of education that required many efforts to adjust to (Owen). In their turn, teachers were not ready to provide online lessons, facing technical and methodological issues. Accordingly, academic performance, as well as the emotional and psychological well-being of children, was at a high risk.
Conclusion
To conclude, COVID-19 made a significant impact on Chinese women and children, creating education, workplace, and psychological issues. Females were affected as health providers, migrant domestic helpers, and working mothers. The threat of domestic violence and additional burden of remote work and childcare were complicating factors. Preschool children and babies were found to be at an increased risk of developing severe symptoms. School closures made it possible to learn at home, but it added tension in families and required adjusting to online lessons. Thus, it becomes evident that children and women are vulnerable groups, while proper policies can help in addressing their challenges.
Works Cited
Alon, Titan M., et al. “The impact of COVID-19 on gender equality.” National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020. Web.
Belluck, Pam. “Children and Coronavirus: Research Finds Some Become Seriously Ill.” The New York Times. 2020. Web.
“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.” Worldometers. 2021. Web.
Feng, Huiyun, et al. “Can Covid-19 Advance Gender Equality in China’s Health Policies?”. The Interpreter. 2020. Web.
Owen, Lara. “Coronavirus: Five Ways Virus Upheaval is Hitting Women in Asia.” BBC News.. 2020. Web.
Wu, Yanting, et al. “Perinatal Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms of Pregnant Women During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in China.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 223, no. 2, 2020, pp. 240-249.